Using Hermes with ShipStation Carrier Services

Start creating Hermes labels right away through ShipStation Carrier Services.

Our Hermes rates for UK Mainland shipments range from £2.25 - £8.05 while the same Royal Mail retail rates range from £2.85 - £28.55. 

NOTE: Hermes ships from the UK Mainland to UK Mainland countries (England, Wales, and Scotland) and Northern Ireland. 

 

This article includes the following information: 

1. Creating Your First Hermes Label
2. Track Your Parcel
3. Returns
4. Settings
5. Shipment Reports
6. Hermes Rates
7. Additional Information

For a quick demonstration, check out this short video (step-by-step instructions below)!  

 

Creating Your First Hermes Label

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For brand new ShipStation users, first provide ShipStation with your Ship From address. 

1. Go to Settings > Shipping > Ship From Address and click +Add a Ship From Location.  
2. Enter the address you will be shipping from, and name the Ship From Location (the name appears in the Ship From drop-down menu when you are shipping an order). 
   • The Ship From location must be in the UK Mainland (England, Wales, or Scotland). 
3. Click Save Changes.
4. Go back to the Orders tab. 

IMPORTANT: Be sure to fill in the Phone Number field. The Phone Number field in the Ship From Location is required to successfully print labels through ShipStation Carrier Services. 

 

In the orders tab

1. Select an order from the Orders grid (if no orders are visible, either import orders from your selling channel or create a manual order).
2. Choose Hermes Domestic - Parcelshop Dropoff from the Service menu. 
3. Choose Package from the Package menu. 
4. Enter the weight and dimensions of your package. 
   • ShipStation will automatically display the rate for your package.
5. Click Create Label. 
   
   • The Order Summary screen will appear. If you have not entered your payment method for ShipStationCarrier Services, you will be prompted to set it up. 
6. Click Set Up. 
7. Enter your payment information. 
8. Click Add Payment and Continue. 
9. Agree to the Terms and Conditions. 
10. Click Add Funds & Create Label. 

Congrats! You just created your first label. 

 

In the Print Label pop-up, choose how you want to print the label. 

• Print via ShipStation Connect requires additional configuration for the initial print. 
• Preview in Browser shows a PDF preview of your label directly in the browser and allows you to print to any local or networked printer available to your workstation. 
• Download a PDF downloads the label PDF file so you can view and print it through any PDF viewer you choose (like Adobe Acrobat or MacOS Preview) to any local or network printer available to your workstation. 

 

Track Your Parcel 

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Once you've sent off your parcel, ShipStation creates a shipment record in the Shipments tab, which also includes the Tracking number. 

To track the order: 

1. Go to the Shipments tab. 
2. Click the tracking # of the parcel you'd like to track.  

You'll be automatically redirected to the MyHermes tracking page, which will display Hermes tracking updates as they become available. 

 

Tracking for your customers:

By default, ShipStation includes the tracking number and a link to the carrier's tracking page in the shipment confirmation email sent to your customer.

If you'd like to create a branded tracking experience for your customers so they are directed to a parcel tracking page you have customized for your brand, please review the article How do I set up the Branded Tracking Page?

 

Returns

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You can create return labels for your parcels using the Hermes Domestic - Parcelshop Dropoff service for shipments from UK Mainland to UK Mainland countries (England, Wales, and Scotland), or for shipments from Northern Ireland, the Highlands, or Islands to the UK Mainland.

Currently, shipments to Northern Ireland from the UK Mainland are not eligible for return services using Hermes. 

For step-by-step instructions on creating a return label in ShipStation, review the article How do I Create a Return Label? 

The return label you create will automatically use the Return Address you set in the Ship From Location used for the outbound delivery.

You can use the Hermes Domestic - Parcelshop Dropoff service even if the parcel was delivered using another courier's service.

 

Self-Service Returns

In addition to creating return labels directly in ShipStation, you can also set up a branded returns portal to allow your customers to initiate their own returns and print their own return labels. You can configure which service your customers are allowed to use, which items are returnable, and how many days your customer has to initiate a return. 

Please review our article How do I Set Up the Branded Returns Portal? to learn about the feature and how to configure it.

 

Settings

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Here is how ShipStation Carrier Services appears in your Carriers & Fulfillment account settings: 

 

• Add Funds: Allows you to manually add funds to your ShipStation Carrier Services balance and to set up Auto-funding using your payment method. With auto-funding, ShipStation will automatically charge your payment method to add a preset amount to your ShipStation Carrier Services balance once the balance falls below the threshold you set. 
  • The minimum amount you can add to your balance or set for auto-funding is £10.

  • The maximum amount you can add to your balance or set for auto-funding is £5,000. If you need to raise this threshold, please contact our support team. 

• Services: Allows you to show and hide the various services provided for each carrier (this is useful if you use only certain services and want to prevent your warehouse staff from choosing services you do not wish them to use).
  • Currently, Hermes provides only one service through ShipStation:  Hermes Domestic - Parcelshop Dropoff
• Add a Provider Account: Allows you to connect other couriers we integrate with if you already have an account with them. Available options include Royal Mail, Hermes Corporate, UPS UK, FedEx UK, DHL Express UK, and Fulfillment by Amazon UK.

 

Shipment Reports

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To check your daily, weekly, or monthly shipment totals, you can use Filters on the Shipments tab to view them and export a report if needed. 

FILTERS

1. Go to the Shipments tab. 
2. Select Hermes from the Carrier filter drop-down menu. 
3. Set your desired date range from the Ship Date filter drop-down menu. 

The number of rows indicated in the bottom left of your Shipments grid indicates how many shipments for that carrier and date range. 

 

EXPORT A REPORT 

After setting your Carrier and Ship Date filters, as shown above, do the following to export a report in a CSV format: 

1. Click the Export action menu. 
2. Choose Shipped Orders.
3. Click Export ALL record(s) in the current view.
4. Select the report you wish to export (or create a new custom report) 
5. Click Export. 

Your report will automatically download as a CSV file when it is ready.

 

Hermes Rates 

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This table shows the rates available for Hermes labels through ShipStation Carrier Services. Rates do not include VAT:

Additional Information

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• Hermes labels include the order number on the label in the Reference field.
• Dimensions are required for all parcels using ShipStation Carrier Services, no matter which carrier you select.
• When using the rate calculator to estimate rates, do not select a Service Class. Only Show All will display results.
• Hermes requires both a first name and last name in the Ship To and Ship From addresses.
• If a rate is not displayed for a Hermes shipment, try adjusting the weight and getting rate again.
• Postage transaction will appear as ShipStation Carrier Services, not Hermes, on your credit card statement
• No carrier insurance is available for Hermes shipments through ShipStation Carrier Services. If you'd like to add insurance to your shipments, you must purchase from a third party. 
• Hermes labels cannot be voided at this time.
• If you'd like to ship your parcels with another courier, you can add another courier account to ShipStation at any time. We currently support Royal Mail (online business accounts), Hermes Corporate accounts, DPD, UPS UK, FedEx UK, and DHL Express.
• When entering a UK address in ShipStation, a State field will be present. You can enter the city name in both the City and State fields.